Fighting is one of the toughest sports that an athlete can be in as it takes a special type of person to step into an octagon where their opponent is looking to hurt them. They go through hell in the octagon but the worst part is often leading up to the fight were these fighters have to go through months of rigorous training just to prepare for a fight and there is often an extra component that can make it tougher. Cutting weight is something that is unique to combat sports as weight classes create a need to get to the right weight for every person.

The start of the year for the UFC was supposed to be a celebration of the best of the promotion with great events and great fighters taking centre stage. It started out well enough with some big names kicking off the year but lately it has all fallen apart. The first fight of the year was fantastic with Jon Jones defending his belt but soon after it was revealed that he had tested positive for cocaine before his fight. It was a shock and a hit to one of the most popular fighters in the UFC and after he went to treatment and left questions continue to surround the light heavyweight champion.

The UFC continues their run of big events in Boston when top contender and fan favourite Conor McGregor stepped into the octagon against Dennis Siver. Heading into the fight it was the Conor McGregor show with Siver taking the back seat in everything. After all this was a match with an outspoken Irish fighter in Boston who was going to get a title shot if he could win the fight.

The UFC has started the year off a little rocky with UFC 182 opening up a new year of fights only to see the biggest star on the card enter rehab after the fight. Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight belt and a day after voluntarily entered a drug rehab facility. This all coming after a drug test revealed that Jones had trace amounts of cocaine in his system. The shocking revelation about one of the biggest stars in the UFC was a shock to many and may very well lose him a lot of fans and the favour of the UFC.

The main event in a UFC fight is the most important spot throughout an entire fight as it is the reason people are at the fight. The main event is the fight that sells an entire card and should feature the best fighters with the most to fight for on the card. The main event is also a chance for fighters to show what they have with all eyes on them. It is the point where everyone is watching and everyone is in the arena including the most important executives in the UFC. So when a fighter gets a chance at the main event it is their chance to show everyone how good they can be.

The UFC lightweight division has been one of the toughest divisions in the UFC for years and everyone knows it. People have been saying it for the last few years and it remains at the same level year after year with only more talent entering the division. Standing at the top of the division right now is the one time Strikeforce champion Anthony Pettis. As Pettis recovers from injury the rest of the division continues to fight for position behind him and leading that charge is former champion Benson Henderson.

Benson Henderson was on top of the UFC world in 2012 when he beat Frankie Edgar to win the lightweight title. He would go on to defend the belt three more times and seemed like a fighter that could clean out a division. Many would consider him the next great champion in the likes of Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva, who both fought at such a high level that the UFC struggled to find true competitors for them for years.

The UFC returns after a busy weekend where they held two fights in one day as they travel to a city that has been waiting for an event for a long time. Albuquerque, New Mexico will host it’s first UFC game ever which is a strange for a city that has become one of the hotbeds of the sport in the USA. There is one simple reason for that type of title as one of the biggest and best MMA gyms in the USA is located in Albuquerque. Jackson’s MMA has become one of the premier training facilities for the sport as they have trained some of the best fighters in the world.